Troy Trojans +13.5 @ Ole Miss.
Take a peek at Troy's results this year. They beat some quality teams and do not get blown out. They almost made the ncaa tournament. Being a smaller school they are making only their second NIT appearance. Yet this team is all seniors and knows how to win, having gone 7-0 before being edged late by North Texas for the Sun Belt championship. Ole Miss is 8-1 in NIT home games and 6-0 historically vs Troy, but this year's teams have not played each other, as a matter of fact the two schools haven't matched up since November 2007.
I never liked Ole Miss this year. They need work and more experience.
This Troy team on the other hand is fully integrated and will certainly be trying to finish their college basketball experiences with maximum results.
I am playing them SU,added points, teased with Nevada, and ML +850.
Troy has an edge in experience over its NIT first-round opponent, Mississippi.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, has an edge in experience in the NIT. This is the Rebels' third trip to the tournament in four years under head coach Andy Kennedy.
Both teams figure to be hungry after just missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid.
A four-point turn-around in the final seconds of a 66-63 loss to North Texas in the Sun Belt Conference final cost Troy (20-12) the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Ole Miss (21-10) finished with a winning record in SEC play, and it still had hopes of earning an at-large NCAA Tournament bid even after a 76-65 loss to Tennessee in the second round of its conference tournament.
Troy, which earned an automatic bid to the NIT after winning the Sun Belt's regular-season title, starts five seniors. The Trojans' top three players off the bench, meanwhile, are juniors.
Ole Miss has just one senior on its entire roster, center DeAundre Cranston. Three of the Rebels' top eight players are sophomores.
One area where Ole Miss should have an edge is quickness. Playing in one of the top conferences in the country, the Rebels, naturally, have better athletes, but Ole Miss is also a guard-oriented team that's much quicker than Troy.
Four of the Rebels' top five players, in scoring and in minutes played, are guards. Leading scorers Chris Warren (17.2 points per game) and Terrico White (14.4) present a real challenge for Troy's 2-3 zone defense.
"I've watched (Ole Miss) over the course of the season; they are very athletic," Troy coach Don Maestri said. "They play four guards. They've got a good inside guy. They are well coached. Andy Kennedy has done a heck of a job with the Ole Miss program. We're in for a challenge."
Troy has proven it can put points on the board, including an 81-point effort in a win over an SEC opponent, Auburn. The Trojans led the Sun Belt in scoring with 75.1 points per game.
Take a peek at Troy's results this year. They beat some quality teams and do not get blown out. They almost made the ncaa tournament. Being a smaller school they are making only their second NIT appearance. Yet this team is all seniors and knows how to win, having gone 7-0 before being edged late by North Texas for the Sun Belt championship. Ole Miss is 8-1 in NIT home games and 6-0 historically vs Troy, but this year's teams have not played each other, as a matter of fact the two schools haven't matched up since November 2007.
I never liked Ole Miss this year. They need work and more experience.
This Troy team on the other hand is fully integrated and will certainly be trying to finish their college basketball experiences with maximum results.
I am playing them SU,added points, teased with Nevada, and ML +850.
Troy has an edge in experience over its NIT first-round opponent, Mississippi.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, has an edge in experience in the NIT. This is the Rebels' third trip to the tournament in four years under head coach Andy Kennedy.
Both teams figure to be hungry after just missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid.
A four-point turn-around in the final seconds of a 66-63 loss to North Texas in the Sun Belt Conference final cost Troy (20-12) the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Ole Miss (21-10) finished with a winning record in SEC play, and it still had hopes of earning an at-large NCAA Tournament bid even after a 76-65 loss to Tennessee in the second round of its conference tournament.
Troy, which earned an automatic bid to the NIT after winning the Sun Belt's regular-season title, starts five seniors. The Trojans' top three players off the bench, meanwhile, are juniors.
Ole Miss has just one senior on its entire roster, center DeAundre Cranston. Three of the Rebels' top eight players are sophomores.
One area where Ole Miss should have an edge is quickness. Playing in one of the top conferences in the country, the Rebels, naturally, have better athletes, but Ole Miss is also a guard-oriented team that's much quicker than Troy.
Four of the Rebels' top five players, in scoring and in minutes played, are guards. Leading scorers Chris Warren (17.2 points per game) and Terrico White (14.4) present a real challenge for Troy's 2-3 zone defense.
"I've watched (Ole Miss) over the course of the season; they are very athletic," Troy coach Don Maestri said. "They play four guards. They've got a good inside guy. They are well coached. Andy Kennedy has done a heck of a job with the Ole Miss program. We're in for a challenge."
Troy has proven it can put points on the board, including an 81-point effort in a win over an SEC opponent, Auburn. The Trojans led the Sun Belt in scoring with 75.1 points per game.
